‘World War Z 2′ Already in the Works

It hasn't even completed its opening weekend, and producers are already looking forward to a 'World War Z 2,' thanks to a hefty box office take of $66 million -- and Brad Pitt, of course.

THR reports that Paramount studio vice chairman Ron Moore is already planning a 'World War Z 2,' again loosely based on the action epic book of the same name by Max Brooks. The film was initially conceived as a trilogy, and has long been a passion project for its leading man (and producer), Brad Pitt. But when the production hit some notorious speed bumps last year, talk of a sequel -- let alone a trilogy -- grew increasingly quiet.

And though the production was incredibly costly for Paramount ($190 million), its opening weekend take of $66 million (the biggest opening for an original live-action tentpole film since 'Avatar') is enough to keep the studio optimistic about a sequel. But are they optimistic enough to put Marc Forster in the director's chair again after all those high-profile re-shoots?

The book on which the film is based is ripe to be mined for more stories -- the author presents himself as an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission, gathering stories from survivors around the world, 10 years after the zombie apocalypse. The film focuses on Brad Pitt's character, a retired U.N. officer named Gerry who travels the world in search of the genesis -- and hopefully the cure -- for the zombie outbreak.

On a recent press stop in Moscow, Pitt said there is still plenty of material from the novel they weren't able to use in the first film. If 'World War Z' stays steady at the box office, as Paramount believes it will, we may be seeing some of that extra material in the next few years.